Bestiary

The Charleston area is home to some unique wasteland creatures.

Clam

Post-war clams resemble their pre-war ancestors except they are about the side of a human head and they can snap their shells closed fast enough to take off a hand or foot. They are not particularly dangerous and often cultivated for food, but you don't want to go sticking things where they don't belong.

Gatorclaw

As the creatures of the wastes mutated, the radiation their body collected moved up the food chain to their predators, including the American Alligator. After years of mutation the Gatorclaw began to develop. Their necks and limbs elongated, and they learned to run on their hind legs so as to use the claws on their front legs as weapons and to hold on to prey.

Their protective scaly skin is a dull forest green with plate-like scutes, while their underbelly is a pale shade of grey. They can often be seen floating flat in the water, waiting to spring forth and ambush prey.

Mirelurk

The most common of the mirelurk family is just referred to as a mirelurk. These creatures resemble horseshoe crabs, with large pincers capable of breaking bones. They can be found in groups in most places where there are large bodies of water. Sometimes barnacles, netting or other debris can find it’s attached to its shell making them easier to spot.

Mirelurk Hunter

Hunters appear to be descended from lobsters rather than crabs, giving them an elongated appearance with a flared tail. Like their crab-like cousins, they also have powerful pincers and are even more aggressive. Their shells are typically more resilient, and they have developed the ability to spit an acidic substance at their prey.

Mirelurk King

Mirelurk kings are heavily mutated snapping turtles. Standing upright on two feet, they are the most human-like of the mirelurks - especially in terms of behavior. They have a symbiotic relationship with the other mirelurk types and commonly employ ranged attacks which the other variants lack. Their hands allow them to employ simple tools, and they constantly exude slime to prevent their skin from drying.

Rad Drum

Rad Drum are descended from the red drum or redfish but have grown to much larger natural sizes with reduced fishing. They are a dark red color on the back, which fades into white on the belly, and have a characteristic eyespot near the tail. Rad Drum can be found in inshore waters throughout Charleston and anywhere along the coast. Some fisherman have reported larger Rad Drum slamming into smaller boats to knock their occupants into the water, but these reports are rare and generally do not include fatalities.

Swamp Stalker

Mutated from the Great Blue Heron, Swamp Stalkers have are the size of person and highly territorial. Named from their hunting habits of quietly walking through the swamps to prey on smaller creatures and mirelurk eggs, the Swamp Stalkers will protect their chosen hunting grounds fiercely. While it is not common, they have been seen gliding over rivers and other wide open areas. A common belief is the Swamp Stalkers only fly when forced out of their hunting grounds to search for another.

Spiney

The lion fish was an invasive species to the waters of Charleston, and being voracious eaters with no natural predators they became a menace to local aquatic species. As an effort to reduce lion fish numbers, Charlestonians began fishing and cooking them. Despite their efforts, the lion fish population was never completely culled.

After the great war the lion fish thrived, grew larger, and developed the ability to launch poisonous harpoon-like spines at prey - earning the name Spineys. They are easily identifiable by their large striped fins, and are often avoided by fisherman. Those who do manage to catch one can be treated to a rare Charleston delicacy.